Una Fitzpatrick
Director, Technology Ireland
Ireland’s unique ecosystem with leading digital health, medtech, pharma and tech companies can make us a global digital health powerhouse.
Going global from Ireland is in our DNA. Ireland is small open economy with a global outlook. We are a location of choice for FDI investment and home to world class start-ups. Our business model is underscored by substance and has helped us achieve a global footprint. We can apply this to digital health by delivering solutions across boundaries and borders.
Digital health is the intersection of healthcare and technology and involves the innovative use of technology to deliver better patient care.
Improving patient care
Digital health is the intersection of healthcare and technology and involves the innovative use of technology to deliver better patient care. The goal is to translate the benefits that technology has brought to other industries and bring them to healthcare, resulting in improved outcomes for patients and the providers of healthcare.
Una Fitzpatrick, Director, Technology Ireland explains that three trade associations, Technology Ireland, BioPharmaChem Ireland and the Irish Medtech Association are working together on the ‘Where Digital Health Thrives’ campaign. It will enable Ireland to become a recognised global hub for digital health, where companies can develop and commercialise products, as well as attract projects and investments.
Speeding up processes
Una Fitzpatrick states: “Artificial Intelligence is an example of a tool which could be used to dramatically improve healthcare. AI can accelerate drug discovery by analysing data from a variety of source sand identifying lead drug candidates. This can shorten the process from three years to 21 days or cut the time for analysing microscopic images from 11 hours to 31 minutes. All of this work still has human oversight but results in huge labour and time savings.”
Digital health can lower the cost of, and increase access to, healthcare. This not only leads to improved outcomes for patients, but for payers and providers too.